Cherwell: local statistics
Cherwell is a district council area in the South East, home to an estimated 172,178 people (mid-2025). This page brings together 10 official figures for the area, each with its period, publisher and the address it was read from. See also who has power over Cherwell, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
In mid-2025 the population of Cherwell was estimated at 172,178, up 0.8% on a year earlier. The ten-year change since mid-2015 is +15.8% (the South East: +8.1%). That is the 5th fastest growth of the 64 council areas in the South East. The mid-2025 estimate is the highest in the series.
The Annual Population Survey estimates that 86.0% of Cherwell residents aged 16 to 64 were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, with a margin of error of 4.6 points either way, against 78.9% across the South East. Over the 11 years shown it ranged from 73.4% to 87.2%.
A Band D home in Cherwell pays an average of £2,582.96 in council tax in 2026-27, 4.8% more than in 2025-26. It is 14th of 64 in the South East, counting from the highest. Ten years earlier, in 2016-17, it was £1,660.57.
The claimant count for Cherwell stood at 2,525 in August 2026, or 2.3% of residents aged 16 to 64 (the South East: 3.1%). Twelve months before, it was 2.4%. Since August 2021 the rate has ranged between 1.9% (January 2023) and 3.1% (August 2021).
In March 2026, 8,725 VAT or PAYE-registered businesses were based in Cherwell, 12% more than in 2016. That is 51 for every 1,000 residents, the 25th highest of the 64 council areas in the South East.
A typical home in Cherwell cost £356,935 in July 2026, on the UK House Price Index, a rise of 4.7% in twelve months. Among council areas that puts it close to the middle of the 64 council areas in the South East (37th highest) (regional average £380,878). Prices are 22% above July 2016 and at their highest July level in the series. The average price is 8.5 times the median annual pay of full-time employees who live in Cherwell. That ratio is the 46th highest ratio of 64 in the South East.
The median full-time employee living in Cherwell was paid £783.50 a week before tax in April 2025, or £42,147 over a year. It is the 39th highest of 64 in the South East, and 3.9% less than across the South East. Measured by where people work rather than where they live, the median is £766.60, £16.90 lower. In 2015 the residents' median was £558.90, so it has risen 40% before inflation.
In 2022 to 2024, women in Cherwell had a life expectancy at birth of 84.1 years; for men it was 81.0 (England: 83.3 and 79.5). Since 2012 to 2014 it has changed by +0.8 years for women and +0.9 for men. It is mid-table in the South East, 35th of 64.
The police recorded 63.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cherwell in the year to March 2026 (10,854 offences in all), close to the middle of the 55 council areas in the South East (26th highest rate). That compares with 65.9 per 1,000 the year before. In the year to March 2016 it was 55.8 per 1,000. Fraud is not included.
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 148,630 |
| 2016 | 150,819 |
| 2017 | 152,329 |
| 2018 | 154,367 |
| 2019 | 156,447 |
| 2020 | 158,435 |
| 2021 | 161,830 |
| 2022 | 164,566 |
| 2023 | 167,778 |
| 2024 | 170,734 |
| 2025 | 172,178 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £292,657 |
| July 2017 | £293,254 |
| July 2018 | £296,848 |
| July 2019 | £283,049 |
| July 2020 | £294,652 |
| July 2021 | £310,065 |
| July 2022 | £334,367 |
| July 2023 | £339,405 |
| July 2024 | £349,491 |
| July 2025 | £341,067 |
| July 2026 | £356,935 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £558.90 a week |
| 2016 | £583.60 a week |
| 2017 | £598.70 a week |
| 2018 | £583.60 a week |
| 2019 | £616.60 a week |
| 2020 | £603.40 a week |
| 2021 | £647.60 a week |
| 2022 | £696.40 a week |
| 2023 | £697.90 a week |
| 2024 | £771.00 a week |
| 2025 | £783.50 a week |
Average Band D council tax
| 2016-17 | £1,660.57 |
| 2017-18 | £1,730.39 |
| 2018-19 | £1,825.17 |
| 2019-20 | £1,898.84 |
| 2020-21 | £1,974.06 |
| 2021-22 | £2,040.90 |
| 2022-23 | £2,137.84 |
| 2023-24 | £2,242.65 |
| 2024-25 | £2,351.01 |
| 2025-26 | £2,463.87 |
| 2026-27 | £2,582.96 |
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
| 2015/16 | 55.8 per 1,000 |
| 2016/17 | 64.1 per 1,000 |
| 2017/18 | 68.2 per 1,000 |
| 2018/19 | 65.3 per 1,000 |
| 2019/20 | 68.4 per 1,000 |
| 2020/21 | 59.7 per 1,000 |
| 2021/22 | 74.1 per 1,000 |
| 2022/23 | 73.5 per 1,000 |
| 2023/24 | 67.9 per 1,000 |
| 2024/25 | 65.9 per 1,000 |
| 2025/26 | 63.0 per 1,000 |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 73.9% |
| 2016/17 | 76.8% |
| 2017/18 | 83.7% |
| 2018/19 | 84.4% |
| 2019/20 | 83.9% |
| 2020/21 | 84.3% |
| 2021/22 | 81.4% |
| 2022/23 | 73.4% |
| 2023/24 | 84.7% |
| 2024/25 | 87.2% |
| 2025/26 | 86.0% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 83.3 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 83.5 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 83.5 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 83.6 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 83.5 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 84.0 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 83.9 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 84.0 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 83.9 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 83.8 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 84.1 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 7,805 |
| 2017 | 7,980 |
| 2018 | 8,095 |
| 2019 | 8,260 |
| 2020 | 8,405 |
| 2021 | 8,385 |
| 2022 | 8,510 |
| 2023 | 8,435 |
| 2024 | 8,455 |
| 2025 | 8,535 |
| 2026 | 8,725 |
Questions about Cherwell
What is the population of Cherwell?
172,178 in mid-2025, the latest ONS mid-year estimate.
How much is Band D council tax in Cherwell?
£2,582.96 on average for 2026-27, including police, fire and parish precepts (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government).
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in Cherwell?
2,525 in August 2026 (2.3% of residents aged 16 to 64), on the ONS claimant count, which is not the unemployment rate.
What is the average house price in Cherwell?
£356,935 in July 2026, on HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index (+4.7% on a year).
What is the average salary in Cherwell?
Median pay for full-time employees living in Cherwell was £783.50 a week in April 2025 (£42,147 a year), from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
What is life expectancy in Cherwell?
84.1 years for women and 81.0 for men (2022 to 2024, ONS).
What is the crime rate in Cherwell?
Home Office figures show 10,854 offences in the year to March 2026, or 63.0 per 1,000 people, not counting fraud.
Who has power over Cherwell
Every body that makes decisions for Cherwell, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 3: Local councils
- Cherwell council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- Cherwell in official figures this page
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- Banbury: Sean Woodcock (Labour) MP
- Bicester and Woodstock: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
Each value above links to the official file or query it was read from, on 14 October 2026. What each figure measures.
- Recorded crime: Years before April 2020 come from the earlier Home Office table.
More on this area and these figures
- Council money: spending, reserves and debt
- Figures for the whole region: the South East
- UK figures: UK population · UK employment rate · UK unemployment rate
- Other council areas in the South East: Arun · New Forest · Oxford · Slough · Wealden · West Berkshire
Related questions
- What is the population of my area?
- How much has council tax gone up this year?
- What is the unemployment rate in my area?
- What is the average house price in my area?
- How do I check my council tax band?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.